John f



J. F. CURRY.

GAME BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. 19w

LQKQS'Z, Patented June 24, 1919.

/ S (101,140 q (w STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. crmmz, or NEW YORK, n. Y.

GAME-BOARD.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 24, 1919.

Application filed March 6, 1918. Serial No. 220,754.

due to the use of solid playing boards when collisions or the like accidents have occurred, certain railroads have forbidden the use of solid boards upon their cars, and employees of other roads are forbidden tofurnish such boards to pa$engers My invention has for its object the avoidance of the dangers inheringin such boards by affording a portable means of playing cards without the inconveniences and obstacles presented by the substitute commonly adopted on these roads, namely, a stretched cloth fastened at its corners, or the makeshift expedients otherwise necessarily ado ted.

y invention also has for its object the production of a collapsible board adapted to be carried in small compass, and particularly to a board which may be folded compactly upon itself in fiat form to fit the pocket.

A further object isto provide a board which, when opened, shall present a surface that is continuous, that is, without projections, depressions or crevices which would obstruct the movements of the cards thereover, and which surface shall be substantially in area equal to that of a standard card table, approximately 22 inches by 27 inches.

A further object is the provision in such a collapsible and foldable board of means for stiffening it when opened for play so that it shall present an approximately rigid self-supporting surface.

The foregoing and other desired objects are attained 'by the hereinafter described structure constituting the preferred embodiment of my invention, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a board; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the hinging pieces used to stiffen the hinge joints of the board; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line IVIV of Fig. 1, illustrating the method of construction and folding; Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the board partially folded; Fig. 6 shows the board semi-collapsed; and Fig. 7 shows it collapsed.

In the board illustrated, there is shown two horizontal rows 1, 2 of rectangular, oblong flats 3, arranged in the rows in corresponding pairs. Between the rows is formed a hinge joint 4: adapted to permit flexure in one direction, so that the rows may be folded together, one row overlying the other, each flat of the upper row registering with the res ective flat below it. As thus folded, the ats are in pairs. Each flat is so jointed by the hinge 5 to the next flat adjacent it successively in its row, that when the rows are folded together, the corresponding pairs may be folded against the next pair to contact and lie flat therewith. This result is attained by forming alternate hinge joints in each row to permit flexure in opposite directions only, the direction of flexure of the joint between any pair in the same row being opposite to that of the joint of the corresponding pair in the other row with whose joint it is in alinement. Thus when the rows are superposed, the flats may be folded bellows-like.. Each flat is of binders board 6, or like thin, strong, light and stiff material. The flats are spaced apart to afford adequate room for the hinge joints between. These joints are formed by overlaying the flats with a sheet of thin hide, cloth, sheet rubber or the like, 7, and

a similar backing 8, and by then suitably stretching the covering and backing materials at the joints in the desired directions,

as by creasing with a suitable tool, until the usual coach seats. When colla sed, this.

board is so compact that it may e readily carried in the coat pocket.

In my preferred construction there are shown a series of spaced clips 10 substantially U-shaped adapted to he slid along the margin of the board to bridge the joint between adjacent rows of flats and thus to stiffen the board when spread open. Reinforcing strips or jointed rods 11, 11 also may be provided, as shown, for each jomt, between flats, if desired, to add to the stability of the structure when it rests on the knees of the players, and additional weight, as of counters, is to be supported thereby. These reinforcing strips have hinges 12 and 12. The link at the end of each rod has an eye 13 and 13, respectively, engaging knobs or hooks l4 and 14. at the remote side of the flat at the other row end. These rods are preferably rectangular metallic strips, slidably movable between the plies of the board to bring their hinges in register with those between flats, the hinges 12 being alternately disposed as to direction of swing in correspondence with the joints between flats. When the board is opened, the reinforcing strips or rods 11 are pushed. in, whereby the hinges 12 lie in the centers of the flats, and the portions of the rod between hinges bridge the joints, making the board rigid. When the board is to be 001- lapsed, the rods are pulled out until the hinges register with the joints as described, the outermost link being withdrawn until its hinge is free. When the board is folded this link is swung around until the eye 13 at its extremity engages a fastening means, as the hook 14, upon the outer fiat, whereby the folded board is fastened in compacted form at top and bottom.

While I am aware that sectional game boards have heretofore been used, I believe the playing surfaces of such boards have been too limited to afford suflicient area for games of cards, being solely intended for chess, checkers, and the like, and further, that the surfaces of such boards were discontinuous and not suitable for card games, and were not adapted as lap boards, and therefore I claim:

1. A sectional board for card games comprising a plurality of rows of flats, each row comprising a plurality of flats, each flat having a plurality of its edges inte rally united to the flats adjoining it, said board being adapted to present a continuous playing surface when 0 n, and to fold upon itself when collapse 2. An in 8.1 game board composed of a lurality of ellows-jointed units each unit ing flexibl connected to the units adjoining it said board being adapted to be collapsed to the linear dimensions of a single unit.

3. An integral game board composed of bellows-jointed units each unit being flexibly connected to the unit adjoining it, said board being adapted to be collapsed to the linear dimensions of a single unit, and spaced means, slidably disposed about the periphery of said board, adapted to rigidly support adjacent units when positioned across the joints between them.

4. A collapsible game board composed of a plurality of rows, each row being composed of a series of rectangular rigid sections flexibly hinged together, adjacent hinges being adapted to close in opposite directions only.

5. A sectional, foldable game board composed of a series of pairs of sections arranged in two rows, one row being foldable upon the other, the pairs of sections being hlnge-connected and adjoining pairs being also hinge-connected, the rows being adapted to foldably overlie as rows, the hinges between adjoining pairs in each row presenting successive folds oppositely disposed.

6. A sectional, foldable game board comprising a series of rectangular sections each section being integrally joined to adjacent sections at a plurality of its edges, the sections being arranged in rows, one row being foldable upon another, the corresponding sections of respective rows being adapted to fold against the adjacent sections, alternate folds being disposed in the same direction.

7. A collapsible laying board for card games adapted to f ld flat upon itself and comprising six pairs of rectangular oblongs each oblong being flexibly united at a plurality of its sides to adjacent oblongs, the pairs being arranged in two rows, the rows being hinged to fold together in one direction only, the resultant corresponding pairs be ng hinge-jointed to fold against adjacent pairs.

8. An integral game board composed of a plurality of bellows-jointed units and an included metallic reinforcing strip having hinges corresponding in number and direction of swing with said joints.

9. An integral game board composed of a plurality of bellows-jointed units and an included reinforcing strip having hinges corresponding in number and direction of swlng with said joints, said stripsbeing adpipted to be moved in one direction to sti en said board when opened, and in the opposite direction to permit the board to be collapsed.

10. An integral game board composed of stiflen said board when opened, and in the a plurality of bellows-jointed units and an opposite direction to permit the board to be included reinforcing strip having hinges collapsed, and fastening means for securing corresponding in number and direction of said board when collapsed comprising in 10 5 swing with said joints, said strips being part a free end of one of said strips.

adapted to be moved in one direction to JOHN F. CURRY. 

